Arizona Supreme Court to hear victims' rights case

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TEMPE, AZ - The Arizona Supreme Court is considering a dispute over the privacy of crime victims.

The justices on Tuesday will hear arguments on an appeal of a Court of Appeals ruling that said crime victims don't have to disclose their birth dates to criminal defendants and their lawyers. That ruling overturned rulings by trial judges in two unrelated cases.

Defense lawyers said they needed the victims' birth dates to determine whether their offices had represented the victims in other cases and therefore couldn't also represent the defendants.

But the Court of Appeals said requiring disclosure would be a privacy violation under the state's bill of rights for crime victims.

The Supreme Court's session is at the Arizona State University law college in Tempe. The justices will issue a ruling on a future date.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.